The present invention relates generally to electronic communication. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing network access.
Electronic communication, for most people, is possible only through the assistance of companies that allow individuals to utilize their networks, usually for a fee. Heretofore, customers have compensated such companies according to the amount of bandwidth the customers utilize (i.e., the amount of information the customers transfer within a given period of time). Such methods, however, may be unfair to customers having high instantaneous information flow rates, yet low total volume of information transferred. Thus, systems and methods are needed for providing network access based on the amount of information sent, rather than the rate at which the information is sent.